This invention relates to an electrically operated wheeled chair for physically handicapped persons of the type in which as a back rest and a foot pipe tilt to a substantially horizontal position, a seat cushion moves up and at last the three parts reach substantially the same level as arm rests. The foot pipe extends as the pipe moves upwardly. The seat cushion retracts as the cushion moves upwardly. A control box moves rearwardly along the length of the arm rests as the back rest tilts rearwardly.
This invention relates to improvements in the seat portion of an electrically operated wheeled chair for physically handicapped persons.
In the prior art electrically operated wheeled chair of the above type, the physically handicapped person seating in the chair can be tilted to the supine position by tilting the back rest rearwardly to a horizontal position and also pivoting the foot pipe to a substantially horizontal position.
However, in the conventional electrically operated wheeled chair of the above type, when the physically handicapped person is transferred from the wheeled chair maintained in the horizontal position to a bed and vice versa, the arm rests stand in the way to thereby make it difficult to transfer the person between the bed and chair.
Furthermore, in the conventional wheeled chair of the above type, since the foot pipe is pivoted at the upper end to the front end of the seat, even when the back rest is tilted rearwardly and the foot pipe is moved upwardly, the length of the foot pipe remains unchanged. However, when a physically handicapped person seats in the chair, the kneecap of the person projects beyond the pivot point of the foot pipe to the front end of the seat. Therefore, when the foot pipe moves upwardly and the back rest tilts rearwardly, the feet of the person is subjected to compressive pressure from the foot plate of the foot pipe to the degree that the person can not extend his legs.
Furthermore, in the conventional wheeled chair of the above type, since the frame of the back rest is directly pivoted in a lower portion of the frame to the rear end of the seat cushion, as the physically handicapped person seating in the chair changes his posture from a normal seating position to a supine position, the garment put on an upper portion of his body creeps On the other hand, as he restores his posture from the supine position to the normal seating position, the garment put on the upper portion of his body slips down and his abdominal region is subjected to pressure resulting in increasement of load on the part of the attendant who cares for the physically handicapped person.
Furthermore, in the wheeled chair of the above type, it is preferable that not only the attendant, but the physically handicapped person himself also can operate the control boxes to change the latter's posture.